Men keener to use in vitro fertilization with donated eggs than women: survey

Almost twice as many men as women would want to use donated eggs to have a child if they and their partner were having trouble conceiving, a Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare survey has found.

The ministry research group surveyed 2,500 citizens and found that 47.6 percent of men who had some experience with fertility treatments were in favor of using donated eggs to conceive, as against 33.8 percent of men with no such experience. Meanwhile, 21 percent of women who had undergone fertility treatments and 18.6 percent of those who had not favored using donated eggs.

Overall, 26.8 percent of respondents -- 34.7 percent of men and 18.9 percent of women -- answered they would want to use in vitro fertilization with donated eggs or do so with the agreement of their partner. Younger respondents were more open to using donated eggs, with 31.4 percent of people in their 20s saying they would want to try the technique, followed by 30.1 percent of people in their 30s, 25.1 percent of those in their 40s, and 20.7 percent of those in their 50s.

Changes to laws governing fertility treatments using donated eggs have failed to progress in Japan due to concerns over the safety of the donors and determining the lineage of the child, among other problems.